This year I’m going to be doing a traditional Gascogne dish, Cassoulet, for Christmas dinner. Or maybe Christmas Eve dinner. I’ve made a one day version of the dish before, but this time I’m going as full out as possible with a multiple day preparation. It’s actually an extremely easy and comforting dish if you have the patience. Why not do something extra special this year and leave the turkey back at Thanksgiving? more…

Recently SlashFood ran some lists of “Dirty Restaurant Tricks” where it was implied that there are common practices restaurants employ to save a buck. Reading through the lists would make any customer, or restaurant worker, disgusted. Not only that, but quite a few of the “tricks” have little to no cost saving effectiveness. They’re just disgusting. more…

How does Anthony Bourdain decide to end the first half of this season of No Reservations? With a trip to Vietnam, of course. I’m not as big on visiting far eastern countries as some people, although I do love asian cuisine. But for some reason Vietnam always intrigues me. What exactly do they have there, and would I like it? It’s easy to find American influenced versions of dishes from Thailand, Japan or China wherever you are in the US. Vietnam remains a mystery, and is still a place of heavy interest. more…

The term “food porn” has come to mean just about any picture of food. We use it here at Munch Monster in such a way quite often. But Anthony Bourdain has no interest in mere food pictures. When Bourdain thinks “food porn” he thinks of dishes that just ooze sexiness. Those items on a plate, like crispy pork skin tacos, that are just as obscene as can be. To some these dripping dishes are pure ecstasy, and for others they are disgusting. And that’s part of what makes them so appealing. more…

Is it really time for Anthony Bourdain to return to television? Thank god, because most of the celeb chefs making the rounds are just people that have no place telling other people what to cook. Bourdain doesn’t do that in No Reservations, instead he just travels and enjoys the food of the land. As it should be. more…

Top Chef is getting ready to premiere. Soon folks, soon we’ll watch the 17 new “cheftestants” jump through hoops and hopefully have a restaurant war. Padma and Chef Colicchio are back, as is mainstay Gail Simmons from Food & Wine Magazine. Sadly Ted Allen, now more known for his Top Chef and Iron Chef appearances is bowing out as a judge. Instead author and food critic Toby Young takes his place. I’m just happy to hear my favorite guest judge, Eric Ripert, is continuing his bond with Top Chef. more…

Anthony Bourdain is great at a lot of things, and one of them is getting me thinking. Sometimes it’s about rotten fish from Iceland, and other times it’s about my fantasy meal. When interviewed by the New York Post’s Page Six he was asked what his fantasy meal would be. Bourdain responded: “Chef Marco Pierre White and Keith Richards would be throwing something on the Barbie in a backyard in Red Hook.” more…